Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev Dies at 66
Alexander Darchiev, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, died Wednesday at the age of 66, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The diplomat had headed the Russian Embassy in Washington since March 2025.
No cause of death was immediately announced. The Foreign Ministry announcement said Darchiev "passed away suddenly."
The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that at the age of 66, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States of America, Alexander Nikitich Darchiev has passed away, Nov. 11, 2026.
The announcement called Darchiev "an outstanding diplomat, an experienced leader, a kind friend, and a mentor," as well as "a consummate professional and a brilliant expert on American affairs" who "served in one of the most critical areas of Russian foreign policy."
Prior to serving as ambassador to the U.S., Darchiev headed the Russian Foreign Ministry’s North America Department, served at Russia’s diplomatic mission in the United States, and was Russia’s ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2021.
The Moscow Times reported that Darchiev replaced Anatoly Antonov as ambassador to the United States in early 2025 amid a sudden thaw in U.S.-Russia relations following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The outlet also reported that Darchiev previously served at Russia’s Embassy in Washington in the late 2000s before holding positions in the Foreign Ministry, and that he later spent six years as Russia’s ambassador to Canada and headed the ministry’s North American Department for four years.
The Moscow Times reported that Darchiev was a protegé of President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov, according to Boris Bondarev, a former Russian diplomat in Geneva who publicly resigned in protest of the invasion of Ukraine. At the time of his appointment, observers said they did not believe Darchiev was likely to wield much influence, as Moscow and Washington have handled most major issues at a higher level in recent years.
The Kremlin did not immediately comment on Darchiev’s passing. U.S. officials have also not issued any statements.
